And I Was?
by paintedallup
Summary: Prequel to my Heroes series And You Are? About how it all came to be. Sylar/Rose OC
1. How It Began

Who am I? I ask the same thing every damn time I open up my eyes and see the _monster_ in the mirror.

The one that is never going away, not today and not in my _bloody_ future.

(the one that is forever without her, her who once made me whole)

But that's not the question I'm asking today (out of many, what am I? being number one), the big one is who was I?

Who was the meek little man I once claimed to be, was I better then or now, or was I just nothing?

Not special in any way, just someone that would be nothing, do _nothing_.

But I still caught the eye of someone who's future shinned brightly from her beautiful smile (the one I helped take away) to the tips of her toes.

And most of all why did she (the one that I see only in dreams) love me so _goddamn_ much when I hated myself more then anyone or anything?

And how do I get the princess, the one that I pushed from her tower (ripped away all she ever had) and forced into harsh reality, to come to love the both the _man_ and the _monster._

('_I hate you, I loved, Gabriel'_)

That's the thing about this whole story (which is so _goddamn_ epic), filled to the brim with bloodshed, tears, boiling hate, and betrayal, I can't made it better.

The villain can't get the girl (even if all he sees is her and her alone) not because of the super-hero but because of the damsel herself, the one that dreams of my death in _technicolor_.

There's just one problem about all of this (this little play were putting on), the villain, the one that never stops having blood on his hands, he can't take no for an answer.

(or the many _'I hate yous'_ that she loves using to cut away at the black hole where my heart used to be)

-

**10 Months Ago: (another time, another world)**

"New neighbors moved in today, baby, I thought we would go give them a welcome and maybe I'll bring them some of that peach pie. What do you think, Gabriel?"

"Anything you want, _mother_."

"That's my baby, the future president and so much more."

Before this day my life, the one that is going along one slow tick of the clock at a time, was nothing but the clocks I loved, dry peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, words of encouragement that only do harm, and most of all it was filled to the brim with nothing at all.

(everyday is _exactly_ the same, and all I have left to do is scream silently)

And then it all changed when she (she who I can still see smiling) walked through my doors, smiling wider then I ever could bring myself to do, and instead of clocks it was her taking over my brain waves.

But just like that, with a even wider smile from myself and a chocolate chip cookie, she was gone before I could let out another symbol, before I could act, instead I did nothing at all.

(and the _angel_ was gone faster then the tick of a clock)

But for first time it seemed that fate was on my side (rather then being the bitch it has been known to be) and with a warm plated peach pie in hand, which I kept from gobbling up myself, the friendly face in the door turned out to be the angel herself.

"Oh, hello Mr-sorry, _Gabriel_, it's nice to see you again I didn't know you lived here! What a small world."

And my mouth copied hers and smiled big and large (because I finally had something to smile about) right back at her and in that moment I knew that everything from going to change.

(but it was unclear weather it was for _better_ or _worse_)

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Rose, I think this the start of a beautiful friendship (and so _much_ more)."

"I agree, Gabriel, and it does help that you brought pie. Get in here so we can eat some."

"With _pleasure_."

(we had no way of knowing that this was the start of a horror story, not a single _clue_)


	2. Bloodshead and Ruin

Life isn't fair (just ask all those people without heads, if you can) but knowing Claude he would chime in with '_it never is, love, just look at me_.'

But this time I don't want fair (peace is something of the past), I don't want to fix it all up and pretend everything is fine, no I want to get _even_.

And Sylar (the one that ripped it all away) is number one on that list.

(put an end to the man that sliced open my whole world without a second glance)

Now after all the blood washed over my life I changed (_body_ and _soul_, got my smile stripped away), went from having every thing I could ever ask for to having nothing.

The brother who I both loved and played mother to (the one that watched from the clouds as I tried to avenge him), the dream job filled with sweets and treats (and flour that stuck like glue) and best of all the love of my life by my side.

Everything was prefect (and we had large grins to prove it) until one man made it all crumble down thanks to the greed that never stops spreading in that black heart of his (and the need for blood,_ oh god_, so much blood), and he made it rain blood and ruin everything in a matter of seconds.

('_Rosie, you love me, don't you?' 'Forever and always, Gabriel.'_ if only it could have lasted forever)

And now all that's left it hate, it boils deep and it only will stop once he's dead and gone, and the truth is that Gabriel died the moment Sylar (and that wicked grin of his) took him over fully and _totally_.

But this eternal hate may have lasted years, melting away only for the man I now see as the father I never had (we have each other so we are no longer alone), but it started to fall away the moment his lips fell on mine.

(the _big damn hero_ fall for the broken girl, it's just like a tale out of a horror story, which sadly has been my life over these long years)

And instead of lies (like the ones Gabriel let lose with that sparkling smile) he gave me that crooked smile that had been for me and me alone and said the one thing I needed then.

"Don't be sorry, you're anything but weak."

Back then at the start of this all (which began with blood and chocolate chip cookies) that would be untrue but at the end, that loved to end in a rain of flames and samurai swords, I was stronger then I had ever been and ready to get even.

(and by the end the thing that scared me most of all was the love that I felt for the man only a second ago I wanted a to murder, and the fact that I'll never stop loving him, _man_ and _monster_)

-

**10 Months Ago (before this horror story started):**

It began with peach pie (the kind that makes you grin and your mouth water) and from there on it didn't take us long before we fell head of heels for each other (the _puppy-dog_, never get enough of each other, _chocolate chip cookie_, kind of love) and it couldn't be any better then it was.

(and all thanks to a bakery item that made both our mouths scream in joy)

For the both of us this sweet and innocent thing (which it can no longer be called) was full of so many firsts, first time, first kiss filled with sweet covered lips, and the best of all,_ first love_.

To me it was a love I had waited for all of my life (one I didn't have the chance to find, not from dead parents, not from little brother) and back then I believed it would last just as we would say, _'forever and always'_ but I didn't know how wrong I was.

Now in the future filled with ex-lovers and so much greed, I get to replay the last time I said those three words (which are said with a new smile to _Peter_ instead of him) to him and meant every last word.

"Tell you mom hello, _Gabriel_. And don't forget the cookies, your favorite. _I love you_."

"Oh, _Ms. Tyler,_ I love you too, more then you can imagine."

-

And the thing that got the ball rolling (to bring us to the present and the war surrounding us) was the moment those nasty powers began to take over our lives, and we had no idea that these small gifts (which to me is now a curse) would bring so much _bloodshed_ and _ruin_.

(back then it smiles as we saw all the wonder our fingertips could make)

He (brother-dear that started to call me mother at age thirteen) had much more power then I ever did, making our living room a winter wonderland with the flick of a finger (all done with that smile which I try hard to remember) and in my eyes he was a wonder himself.

I got the powers that fit me perfectly (like a glove that now fits me better then before), the power to know someone inside and out, the power to be the protector that saw what was coming a mile away but still I couldn't see what was coming for me.

(couldn't see the _monster_ inside the man that I loved more then I should have)

I couldn't protect the one person that I had promised my parents I would (with tears at the head of their death beds), couldn't burn the murderer to a nice crisp or even fight back, no all I had was the ability to put a wall between him and me.

Which only protected me (one day would be used to save the new love who was pure _through_ and _though_) from the uninvited touch of the man that with blood on his finger tips who was proclaiming his love.

And the only thing it did was cause so much more hate (as blood pooled at his feet) and increased the need for him to suffer by my hands, the ones that used to hold to his for dear life.

"I love you, so _goddamn_ much Rose, I'm so sorry."

-

"_Peter_!"

It was both a pleasure and torture to wake from the nightmare (that was stained red and filled with monsters) that seemed to never end because every night it was the same thing, instead of a dream it was a string of memories that loved to watch me suffer.

(watch as the blood of my brother touches the tips of boots and the monster grabs with both murder and love in it's eyes)

But the only reason I shut my eyes at all is to see the smiling face that I need to not forget (and sound of a train as he slips away from me once again) and for that I'll put up with the pain and the blood that even now drips down our walls.

"Rose, _shh_, it was just a dream. Sylar's dead and gone, _I'm here_."

"Peter, thank you so much for staying with me. If you weren't here I don't know what I would have done. (gone to the ends of the earth searching for the man I know is alive and kicking and put a end to him once again)."

"Don't thank me, Rose, and know I'm never leaving you alone again, I'll be here for _forever_ and _always_."

And without knowing it I fell (the_ puppy-dog_, never get enough of each other, _chocolate chip cookie_, kind of love) head over heels once again but this time I've got a good feeling that it will end much better then the other one (without blood and ruin, with old age and _love_).

Maybe I'll finally get that love story I've always wanted because this time I chose the right person to have it with.

"Hey, shut up in there! There's two things I don't want to here from you two, that's _mushy-lovely_ talk and you guys going at it, got it?"

"_Claude_!"


End file.
